Connection terminal and connector device

Abstract

To provide a connection terminal capable of suppressing deformation.SOLUTION: A connection terminal 1 comprises: a wire connection part 2 for connecting to electric wires 10; and an electrical connection part 4 provided on the tip side of the wire connection part 2, presenting a box shape, forming a slit 44 for inserting a flexible substrate 9 from the tip side, and having an arm part 45 that extends in the connection direction X, directly contacts and is electrically connected to the flexible substrate 9. The connection terminal is box-shaped, yet allows insertion of the flexible substrate 9, and is configured to be hard to deform.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a connection terminal and a connector device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as related to a connection terminal and a connector device, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, a connection terminal that is attached by crimping to an electric wire and that has an electric wire crimping portion that is crimped to the electric wire and an arm portion that extends in the connection direction is known. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-342529 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The above-mentioned connection terminal and connector device have room for improvement in that the connection terminal is easily deformed. For example, when the connection terminal is inserted into a housing or connected to a mating connector, the connection terminal may bend and deform between the arm and the wire crimping portion, making it difficult to properly connect to the mating connector.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a connection terminal and a connector device capable of suppressing deformation of the connection terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] That is, the connection terminal of the present invention is configured to include an electric wire connection portion for connecting to an electric wire, and an electrical connection portion provided at the tip side of the electric wire connection portion, having a box shape, forming a slit for inserting a planar circuit body from the tip side, and having an arm portion extending in the connection direction and directly contacting and electrically connecting to the planar circuit body. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the connection terminal and the connector device of the present invention, deformation of the connection terminal can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a connection terminal according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connection terminal taken along line II-II of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connector device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of connector connection in the connector device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a modified example of the connector device according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In addition, the components in the following embodiments include those that are replaceable and easy for a person skilled in the art, or those that are substantially the same.

[0010] [Embodiment] This embodiment relates to a connection terminal and a connector device. In the following description, among the first, second, and third directions that intersect with each other, the first direction is referred to as the "connection direction X", the second direction is referred to as the "width direction Y", and the third direction is referred to as the "height direction Z". Here, the connection direction X, the width direction Y, and the height direction Z are mutually perpendicular. The connection direction X corresponds to the connection direction of the connection terminal or the extension direction of the connection terminal. The width direction Y and the height direction Z correspond to the intersecting directions that intersect with the connection direction X. In addition, each direction used in the following description represents a direction in a state in which each part is assembled with each other, unless otherwise specified. Note that the orthogonal here includes nearly orthogonal.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 1, the connection terminal 1 is a terminal attached to an electric wire 10, and is applied to, for example, a crimp terminal that is crimped and attached to the end of the electric wire 10. The connection terminal 1 includes an electric wire connection portion 2, a linking portion 3, and an electric connection portion 4, and, for example, the electric wire connection portion 2, the linking portion 3, and the electric connection portion 4 are integrally formed. That is, the connection terminal 1 is made of a conductive metal plate, and the electric wire connection portion 2, the linking portion 3, and the electric connection portion 4 are integrally formed by pressing or bending a plate material having a shape corresponding to the electric wire connection portion 2, the linking portion 3, and the electric connection portion 4. The connection terminal 1 is formed in the order of the electric connection portion 4, the linking portion 3, and the electric wire connection portion 2 from the tip side along the connection direction X. For example, a coated electric wire having a coating portion 10B provided on the outer periphery of a conductor 10A is used as the electric wire 10.

[0012] The electric wire connection portion 2 has, for example, a coating crimping portion 21 and a conductor crimping portion 22. The coating crimping portion 21 crimps the coating portion 11 of the electric wire 10. For example, the coating crimping portion 21 has two barrels 211, and is attached to the coating portion 11 by wrapping the barrels 211 around the coating portion 11 and crimping them. For example, the conductor crimping portion 22 has two barrels 221, and is attached to the conductor 12 by removing the coating portion 11 and crimping the barrels 221 to the exposed conductor 12.

[0013] The electrical connection portion 4 is a portion electrically connected to a flexible substrate 9 (see FIG. 3) which is a planar circuit body, and is formed in a box shape. For example, the electrical connection portion 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape with two side portions 43 provided between a bottom portion 41 and a top portion 42. The bottom portion 41 and the top portion 42 are disposed opposite each other and spaced apart in the height direction Z. The two side portions 43 are disposed opposite each other and spaced apart in the width direction Y. A slit 44 is formed in the side portion 43 for inserting the flexible substrate 9. The slit 44 is formed by cutting out the side portion 43 from the tip side along the connection direction X.

[0014] The electrical connection portion 4 has an arm portion 45. The arm portion 45 is a contact portion that is in direct contact with the flexible substrate 9 and electrically connected. The arm portion 45 extends from the side portion 43 toward the tip side in the slit 44 along the connection direction X. That is, the arm portion 45 extends between the bottom surface portion 41 and the top surface portion 42 in the connection direction X. For example, in the slit 44, the space between the arm portion 45 and the bottom surface portion 41 is an insertion space 44A for the flexible substrate 9. In addition, in the slit 44, the space between the arm portion 45 and the top surface portion 42 is a movable space 44B for the arm portion 45. That is, the space between the arm portion 45 and the top surface portion 42 is a movable space 44B that allows elastic deformation of the arm portion 45 when the connection terminal 1 is connected to a first connector 71 (see FIG. 3) having a flexible substrate 9. Moreover, the movable space 44B may be used as a space into which a locking member is inserted for locking the connection terminal 1 to the first connector 71 when mated with the first connector 71. The arm portion 45 is provided only on one of the two side surface portions 43. The tip of the arm portion 45 serves as a contact portion and protrudes, for example, toward the insertion space 44A.

[0015] A stopper 46 protruding toward the arm portion 45 is formed on the upper surface portion 42. The stopper 46 is a portion that suppresses excessive deformation of the arm portion 45. For example, when the flexible substrate 9 is inserted into the insertion space 44A, even if the arm portion 45 is excessively pressed upward due to some abnormality, the arm portion 45 abuts against the stopper 46, and the arm portion 45 is suppressed from being excessively deformed. Therefore, the stopper 46 can suppress damage to the arm portion 45. A protrusion 47 protruding upward is formed on the upper surface portion 42.

[0016] In this way, the electrical connection part 4 is formed in a box shape, which increases its rigidity and can suppress deformation when the connection terminal 1 is crimped to the electric wire 10. For example, even when the connection terminal 1 is crimped to the electric wire 10, stress generated in the electric wire connection part 2 is not transmitted to the arm part 45, and deformation of the arm part 45 is suppressed.

[0017] Furthermore, by forming the arm portion 45 in the electrical connection portion 4 connected to the side portion 43, the amount of material used, such as a metal plate, can be reduced. For example, forming the arm portion 45 inside the box-shaped electrical connection portion 4 requires bending and shaping the material, which results in a large amount of material being used. In contrast, by forming the arm portion 45 in the box-shaped side portion 43, the connection terminal 1 according to this embodiment can be formed using less material.

[0018] The arm portion 45 is formed between the bottom surface portion 41 and the top surface portion 42, and is therefore protected by the bottom surface portion 41 and the top surface portion 42. For example, when the connection terminal 1 is inserted into the second connector 72, the arm portion 45 is protected by the bottom surface portion 41 and the top surface portion 42, and can be prevented from coming into contact with components of the second connector 72.

[0019] The connecting portion 3 is provided between the electric wire connecting portion 2 and the electric connection portion 4, and is a portion that connects the electric wire connecting portion 2 and the electric connection portion 4. The connecting portion 3 has a floor portion 31 and a side wall portion 32. The floor portion 31 is a plate-shaped portion and is connected to the bottom surface portion 41 of the electric connection portion 4. As shown in FIG. 2, the connecting portion 3 is formed by raising the side wall portions 32 from both ends of the floor portion 31 in the width direction Y. That is, when the connecting portion 3 is viewed in a cross section intersecting the connection direction X, the floor portion 31 and the two side wall portions 32 have a U-shaped cross section. Therefore, the connecting portion 3 has a structure with higher rigidity than when it is formed only with the flat floor portion 31. Therefore, the connecting terminal 1 can suppress deformation such as bending of the connecting portion 3 when crimping to the electric wire 10 or mating with the first connector 71. Note that the U-shape here includes an almost U-shape.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the connector device 7 is a device that connects a flexible substrate 9 and a plurality of electric wires 10, and is used, for example, mounted on a vehicle and used as a wire harness that connects electrical devices installed in the vehicle. The electrical devices include electronic control devices, sensors, circuit devices, motors, batteries, etc. For example, the flexible substrate 9 is used as a trunk portion of the wire harness, and the electric wires 10 are used as branch portions of the wire harness. The connector device 7 includes a first connector 71, a second connector 72, and a connection terminal 1. FIG. 3 shows the connector device 7 in a state in which the first connector 71 and the second connector 72 are separated from each other.

[0021] The first connector 71 is a connector attached to the flexible substrate 9, and is configured to be able to be fitted and connected to the second connector 72. The flexible substrate 9 is a planar circuit body having a circuit configured in a planar shape, and is called a flexible printed circuit board (FPC (Flexible Printed Circuits)), which is a flexible printed wiring board. The planar shape here includes a substantially planar shape. The flexible substrate 9 is formed, for example, by bonding a base film, a conductor foil, and a coverlay via an adhesive layer. The conductor foil is the wiring pattern of the flexible substrate 9, and constitutes the contact portion 91 of the flexible substrate 9. The flexible substrate 9 may be a single-sided substrate having a wiring pattern only on one side of the base film, or may be a double-sided substrate having wiring patterns on both sides of the base film. In addition, the flexible substrate 9 may have electrical components such as resistors and capacitors mounted on the wiring pattern, or may not have electrical components mounted thereon.

[0022] The contact portion 91 is a portion that serves as a contact point for electrical connection of the flexible substrate 9, and is provided as a part of the wiring pattern. At the position of the contact portion 91, the coverlay for surface protection is removed, and the conductor foil is exposed. In addition, the contact portion 91 is subjected to a surface treatment, for example, to prevent oxidation of the conductor foil. A plurality of contact portions 91 are formed in a line at the end portion of the flexible substrate 9. The number of contact portions 91 is set according to the number of connection terminals 1 of the second connector 72.

[0023] The first connector 71 has a first housing 711 and is attached to, for example, an end of the flexible substrate 9. The first housing 711 is a member that holds the flexible substrate 9 and is fitted with the second connector 72, and is formed, for example, in a block shape. The second connector 72 is a connector that is fitted and connected to the first connector 71 and electrically connects the connection terminal 1 to the contact portion 91 of the flexible substrate 9. That is, the second connector 72 is configured to hold an array of multiple connection terminals 1 and to be connectable with the first connector 71. The second connector 72 connects the connection terminal 1 to the contact portion 91 of the flexible substrate 9 by directly contacting it with the first connector 71 through connection with the first connector 71. The second connector 72 has a second housing 721. The second housing 721 is a member that holds the connection terminal 1 attached to the electric wire 10, and is formed, for example, in a block shape.

[0024] Next, the connection of the connector device 7 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0025] 3, the connector device 7 is connected by connecting a first connector 71 and a second connector 72. A flexible substrate 9 is attached to the first connector 71, and a connection terminal 1 attached to an electric wire 10 is held in the second connector 72. The first connector 71 and the second connector 72 are arranged in a state separated from each other in the connection direction X. Then, for example, the second connector 72 is brought close to the first connector 71 to make the connection.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 4, the first housing 711 and the second housing 721 are fitted together to connect the first connector 71 and the second connector 72. At this time, the flexible board 9 is inserted into the slit 44 of the connection terminal 1, and the arm portion 45 comes into contact with the flexible board 9 and is electrically connected. The arm portion 45 bends toward the top surface portion 42 to come into contact with the flexible board 9. At this time, the stopper 46 protruding from the top surface portion 42 suppresses excessive deformation of the arm portion 45. In other words, even if the arm portion 45 tries to deform excessively, it abuts against the stopper 46, and therefore the excessive deformation of the arm portion 45 is suppressed.

[0027] Here, the connection terminal 1 has an electrical connection portion 4 that is box-shaped but has a slit 44 formed therein, so that a plate-shaped flexible substrate 9 that is long in the width direction Y can be inserted into the electrical connection portion 4. The connection terminal 1 can connect the flexible substrate 9 by contacting it with an arm portion 45 formed in the electrical connection portion 4. Furthermore, since the electrical connection portion 4 is box-shaped, when the flexible substrate 9 is inserted, the arm portion 45 is elastically deformed, but the electrical connection portion 4 has high rigidity and is suppressed from deforming. Therefore, the connector device 7 can suppress deformation of the connection terminal 1 when connecting the first connector 71 and the second connector 72, and can smoothly connect the first connector 71 and the second connector 72.

[0028] As described above, in the connection terminal 1 and connector device 7 according to this embodiment, the electrical connection portion 4 is box-shaped and has increased rigidity, so that deformation of the connection terminal 1 can be suppressed when the connector is connected.

[0029] In addition, in the connection terminal 1 of this embodiment, the connecting portion 3 has a floor portion 31 and a side wall portion 32, so that the rigidity of the connecting portion 3 is increased and deformation of the connecting portion 3 can be suppressed when crimping to the electric wire 10 or inserting into a connector.

[0030] Furthermore, in the connection terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, by forming the arm portion 45 continuous with the side surface portion 43 of the electrical connection portion 4, the arm portion 45 can be formed between the top surface portion 42 and the bottom surface portion 41. Therefore, in the connection terminal 1 according to the present embodiment, the arm portion 45 can be protected by the top surface portion 42 and the bottom surface portion 41.

[0031] Furthermore, in the connection terminal 1 according to this embodiment, by forming the stopper 46 for the arm portion 45, excessive elastic deformation of the arm portion 45 can be suppressed.

[0032] The connection terminal and the connector device according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. The connector device 7 and the connection terminal 1 according to this embodiment may be configured by appropriately combining the components of the above-described embodiments and modified examples.

[0033] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the connection terminal 1 has one arm portion 45, but as shown in Fig. 5, two arm portions 45 may be provided on each of the two side portions 43. That is, such a connection terminal can obtain the effect of reducing the contact resistance and achieving a stable electrical connection because the connection terminal 1 has multiple contact points with the flexible substrate 9, in addition to the effect of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0034] Further, the connection terminal 1 and the connector device 7 according to the above-described embodiment have been described as being mounted on a vehicle, but they may also be used without being mounted on a vehicle.

[0035] In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the flexible substrate 9 is used as the planar circuit body, but a planar circuit body other than the flexible substrate 9 may be used. For example, a flat cable (FC (Flat Cable)), a flexible flat cable (FFC (Flexible Flat Cable)), or the like may be used as the planar circuit body. Even with such a connection terminal and connector device, deformation of the connection terminal 1 can be suppressed, similarly to the connection terminal 1 and connector device 7 according to the above-described embodiment.

[0036] In addition, in the connection terminal 1 and the connector device 7 according to the above-mentioned embodiment, a crimp terminal is used as the connection terminal 1, but a terminal other than a crimp terminal may be used. Even in this case, deformation of the connection terminal 1 can be suppressed as in the connection terminal 1 and the connector device 7 according to the embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1: Connection terminal 2: Wire connection part 3: Connection part 4: Electrical connection 7: Connector device 9: Flexible board (flat circuit body) 10: Electric wire 31: Floor part 32: Side wall 41: Bottom part 42:Top part 43: Side part 44: Slit 45: Arm section 46: Stopper 71: First connector 72: Second connector

Claims

1. a wire connection portion for connecting the wire; an electrical connection part provided at a tip side of the electric wire connection part, having a box shape, forming a slit into which a planar circuit body is inserted from the tip side, and having an arm part extending in a connection direction and directly contacting and electrically connected to the planar circuit body, Connection terminal.

2. a coupling portion provided between the electric wire connection portion and the electrical connection portion and integrally formed with the electric wire connection portion and the electrical connection portion; The coupling portion has a floor portion continuous with a bottom surface portion of the electrical connection portion, and side wall portions rising from both ends of the floor portion in a width direction. The connection terminal according to claim 1 .

3. The electrical connection portion is box-shaped with two side surfaces between the bottom surface and the top surface, The arm portion is provided so as to be connected to one of the two side surface portions. The connection terminal according to claim 2 .

4. The electrical connection portion is box-shaped with two side surfaces between the bottom surface and the top surface, The arm portion is provided in two portions connected to each of the two side surface portions. The connection terminal according to claim 2 .

5. The upper surface portion forms a stopper that protrudes toward the arm portion. The connection terminal according to claim 3 or 4.

6. a first connector attached to the planar circuit body; A connection terminal that is attached to the electric wire; a second connector that holds the connection terminal, is configured to be connectable by fitting with the first connector, and connects the connection terminal to the planar circuit body by directly contacting the connection terminal with the first connector, The connection terminal is a wire connection portion for connecting the electric wire; an electrical connection part which is formed integrally with the electric wire connection part, has a box shape, forms a slit into which the planar circuit body is inserted, and has an arm part which extends in a connection direction and is in direct contact with and electrically connected to the planar circuit body, Connector device.

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